Tag Archives: Harrisburg City Council

Another $500,000 set aside for Harrisburg small businesses, as City Council directs CARES Act funding

May 26, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

A screen grab from City Council’s virtual meeting on Tuesday night.

Harrisburg’s small businesses soon may get another dose of financial support, as City Council has approved more money to help sustain them.

Council unanimously passed a resolution on Tuesday night that makes changes to the city’s “2019 Action Plan” for federal housing funds, including a $500,000 allocation to provide grants to city-licensed businesses hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The money derives from $1.15 million the city is receiving in supplemental Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Already, the city and Impact Harrisburg have distributed about $1.75 million to city businesses impacted by the pandemic under the Neighborhood Business Stabilization Program. However, demand for grants quickly exhausted that pool of money.

Because the new money originates from federal CDBG funds, which has its own rules, this round of funding is considered separate, although Impact Harrisburg still will oversee the application process for small businesses.

The remainder of CARES Act funds under CDBG will be used to provide public services that “prevent, prepare and respond to COVID-19,” as well as for administrative purposes, according to the city.

The city also is receiving $578,217 in CARES Act funding for the Emergency Solutions Grant Program, which is focused on providing emergency housing and preventing homelessness.

The city plans to hold a virtual public meeting on the allocation of CARES Act funds on Thursday at 6 p.m. so that residents can “learn more about the program,” according to Councilman Dave Madsen.

“If people want to apply for it, they’ll need to know more about it,” he said.

The public can join that hearing by phone by calling 301-715-8592 and entering the following information when prompted: Meeting ID: 869 7635 8476, Password: 871913. It also can be viewed youtube.com/whbg20, which is live-streaming the hearing.

The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

May 15, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

One of the more colorful outfits at Friday’s ReOpen PA rally

The pandemic news had some new twists and turns this week, in addition to the same old, plodding story. As usual, we covered it all as it unfolded. If you missed any of our coverage, we have it all listed and linked below.

Allison Hill is slated for a major redevelopment project, as Harrisburg City Council this past week approved a building plan for a centrally located area around N. 15^th Street. The developer hopes to break ground later this year. Click here for the details.

April home sales held their own in the Harrisburg area, despite the pandemic. Sales were down a bit, but prices actually rose during the month. Find out the details in our monthly update.

COVID-19 cases continue to drop, ever so slowly, around the commonwealth, though the fatality count has risen sharply. We covered the state’s daily briefings, including the latest story here.

Cumberland, Adams, York and Perry counties will move into the “yellow” category next week, Gov. Wolf said. This leaves the Harrisburg area split, with about half the area still under the most restrictive red phase. Get the details in our online news story.

Gov. Tom Wolf came out swinging this past week, warning counties that they risk losing aid if they unilaterally relax business and stay-at-home restrictions. He didn’t mince words, much like the strong language of several critical county commissioners. Find out what happened from our online story.

Grieving and funerals have changed greatly due to the coronavirus pandemic. Our online feature story explains how people are adapting in a time of social distancing and limits on public gatherings.

Harrisburg-based small businesses received some rare good news this week, as they learned they would receive $5,000 checks under a joint program by Impact Harrisburg and the city. We had the story details, including interviews with a few recipients.

Harrisburg school district has a large, unexpected budget deficit due to lower tax revenue and lower-than-expected aid, in light of the pandemic. However, they still don’t expect to raise taxes. Our online story explains why.

ReOpen PA held another protest of Gov. Tom Wolf’s “stay at home” and business closure orders. The crowd was smaller than last month’s, but remained passionate, with lots of colorful posters, flags and pro-Trump paraphernalia. Our online feature story captures the action.

ReOpen PA is back, exercising their Constitutional right of assembly. That’s perfectly fine, says our editor, as long as they also exercise respect for the capital city and its people. His editorial created a lively online conversation after its publication.

Sara Bozich is still staring at her computer screen, that is, when she’s not staring out the window. But, lucky for us, she’s found some terrific online activities and takeout options, which she shares in her weekly blog post.

St. Stephen’s Episcopal School had to cancel its annual “Race for Education,” but that didn’t stop the fundraiser from moving forward. Like many other things in our lives, the race went online. Find out how you can contribute in our online feature story.

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Harrisburg Council approves major Allison Hill project; mayor says city will follow state mandates in reopening

May 12, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

A screen grab of Harrisburg City Council’s virtual legislative session on Tuesday

One of the largest housing developments on Allison Hill in recent years is slated to move forward, as Harrisburg City Council approved a plan for a multi-building project just off of Market Street.

On Tuesday evening, council unanimously approved the land use plan by TLC Cornerstone Renewal to construct 26 townhouses, a 24-unit apartment building and a community center in a five-block area bounded by N. 15^th Street, Walnut Street and Crabapple Street.

“This is such a blighted area,” council President Wanda Williams said during last week’s council work session, when the project was discussed. “It certainly will enhance this area.”

At that work session, developer Tarik Casteel, president of TLC, told council members that he hopes to break ground in the early fall on the $14.7 million affordable housing project on the 2.1-acre site.

“This project will be big in this community,” he said. “It’s definitely needed, not just in this community but in several areas of the city of Harrisburg.”

A rendering of TLC’s planned project for Allison Hill

Nearly two years ago, TLC cut the ribbon on its first big project, the 20-unit Harrisburg Uptown Building (HUB) and the HUB Veteran Housing Campus.

Casteel told council that the new Allison Hill project would be just the first phase of a three-phase project for the area. He expects a 16-month construction period for the first phase.

“In Allison Hill, there is definitely a need,” he said. “This was one of the worst areas of the city. That’s why we wanted to come into this area, because it is the worst.”

In other action, council approved the distribution of federal housing funds to city-based nonprofits. Recipients of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding include:

A Miracle for Sure: $13,810
Center for Employment Opportunities: $13,810
Communities in Schools: $13,810
Heinz Menaker Senior Center: $14,000
Latino Hispanic American Community Center (LHACC): $13,810
Neighborhood Dispute Settlement: $13,810
Pennsylvania Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Network: $13,810
The Salvation Army Harrisburg Capital City Region: $25,000

The city also distributed federal Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funding to the following organizations:

Capital Area Coalition on Homelessness: $24,000
Christian Churches United of the Tri-County Area: $63,000
Shalom House: $43,100
YWCA Greater Harrisburg: $50,000

Also at the meeting, Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse made an opening statement, telling council members that the city would follow state mandates regarding business closures and stay-at-home orders, not the Dauphin County commissioners.

“I know I speak for all of us when I say we believe in the governor’s decision-making power, we believe in the Department of Health, and we believe in following those guidelines,” he said.

Several commissioners in central PA have threatened to unilaterally move their counties from the most restrictive “red” category to the less restrictive “yellow” category, which allows for greater freedom of movement and business operations. Locally, Dauphin County commission Chairman Jeff Haste issued a letter recently criticizing Gov. Tom Wolf and urging him to begin relaxing restrictions in the commonwealth and the county.

“I know that everyone is eager to get back to work and have the city reopen, but we have to let science guide us, we have to go slow, and we have to work collectively on this issue to make sure that we don’t have a relapse that ends up having us backslide even further and causing additional loss of life and harm,” Papenfuse said.

He added that, if the commissioners defy the state and move Dauphin County to the yellow phase, “we will not recognize that, the governor will not recognize that, and the city will remain in the red phase.”

The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

May 8, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

The PA state Capitol. Photo by Dani Fresh

The coronavirus pandemic continues to dominate our lives, two months after the first case was diagnosed in Pennsylvania. Similarly, it again dominated the news, with basically all of our stories somehow tied to it. If you missed any of our coverage from the past week, we have it all listed and linked below.

COVID-19 pandemic appeared to ease a bit in Pennsylvania this past week, as most days had new cases below 1,000. However, the state twice raised the fatality rate significantly. We had an update each day, and here’s the latest.

Coronavirus pandemic has nearly everyone down, anxious and wondering what comes next. Our contributor, Karen Hendricks, shared her thoughts in a beautifully written blog post that surely reflects how others are feeling during this time.

Dauphin County reported 13 positive COVID-19 cases after a facility-wide testing of the county prison. More than 1,000 inmates and staff were tested, with a small percentage testing positive. Check out our online story for the details.

Harrisburg and Impact Harrisburg expect to more than double the grant money available through the Neighborhood Business Stabilization Program. The initial $1 million pot of money has already been exhausted, with much need left in the community. We covered the issue in an online story.

Harrisburg area likely will remain in the “red” category for at least another month. Gov. Tom Wolf revealed that the next counties to enter the “yellow” category of reopening would be in the southwest part of the state, as he extended his “stay-at-home” order for all red areas. We had the blow-by-blow in our online stories.

Healthy Steps Diaper Bank is teaming with Hamilton Health for a drive-through diaper distribution this weekend. Like many essentials, diapers are in great demand and low supply. Read our online story to find out the details and to make a donation.

Midtown Scholar Bookstore hosted a very timely book talk, featuring Catharine Arnold, author of “Pandemic 1918.” We sat in on the virtual event, seeing comparisons between the two pandemics, a century apart.

Nora Carreras is the newest member of the Harrisburg school board. Receiver Janet Samuels made the decision to fill the open seat following the recent death of board Director Gerald Welch. Find out more in our online story.

Nursing home residents constitute a huge number of positive COVID-19 cases, as well as the far majority of fatalities in PA. In an editorial, our editor questions why nursing home data is being lumped in with the general population data as the commonwealth makes decisions about re-openings.

Polling stations will change for several wards in Dauphin County for the June 2 primary, due to the pandemic. Our online story has the details on which ones will be affected.

Sara Bozich sometimes stares out the window and sometimes stares at her computer. In her weekly blog post, she has some great ideas for your own computer staring with virtual events and delicious takeout ideas.

TheBurg editor has some somber impressions of his empty city, as well as a few “wishes” for the Harrisburg area as we come out of the pandemic. This past week, we published his magazine column for our online readers.

TheBurg Podcast dropped on Friday, going into greater depth on stories from our May issue. Host Karen Hendricks interviews writers of several feature stories, including photographer Dani Fresh, whose photo story is certainly a highlight. You can subscribe to TheBurg Podcast or link to it here.

Wolf administration is planning a “Commonwealth Civilian Coronavirus Corps,” a workforce that would be deployed throughout PA to conduct testing and contact tracing. Read more in our online story.

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Substantially more money may soon flow into Harrisburg’s small business grant program

May 5, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

A screen shot of Harrisburg City Council’s virtual work session on Tuesday

Harrisburg is looking to significantly boost a fund that is offering grants of up to $10,000 to small businesses.

At Tuesday night’s City Council work session, city officials said that another $1.25 million soon may be injected into the Neighborhood Business Stabilization Program.

“We would look forward to expanding our partnership with Impact Harrisburg and have a round two of funding,” said Marc Woolley, the city’s business administrator.

Over the past two weeks, Impact Harrisburg, a nonprofit formed as part of the city’s 2013 financial recovery plan, has been accepting applications for the program, which offers grants of up to $10,000 to help city-licensed small businesses survive the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, according to Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse, the need for assistance quickly exhausted the $1 million pot of money, funded evenly by the city and Impact Harrisburg.

“I can tell you that there is far more need than even the funds that are available,” he told council members during the virtual meeting.

A week ago, city Solicitor Neil Grover, who chairs the Impact Harrisburg board, told council members that requests for grants already were double the $1 million fund.

Therefore, Impact Harrisburg has decided to commit another $750,000 to the program, Papenfuse said.

In addition, the administration, Papenfuse said, would like to kick in another $500,000, that money originating from supplemental CARES Act funding from the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). City Council would need to approve that distribution.

Papenfuse also said that he expected Impact Harrisburg, which is administering the program, to make an announcement soon of award recipients for the first funding round.

“I believe that Impact Harrisburg’s plan is to close out this initial round with an announcement by the end of the week,” he said.

The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

May 1, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

Qui Qui Musarra, chef and an owner at Rubicon, Mangia Qui, & Suba, from a Dani Fresh photo feature in the May issue of TheBurg, which was released this week.

Around TheBurg, week six of the shutdown didn’t seem that different from weeks five, four, etc., etc. Amid the holding pattern, there was some bad news and some very good news. If you missed any of our coverage, we have it all listed and linked below.

COVID-19 pandemic continued to plague the commonwealth, and, each day, we reported on the health department’s grim tally. Click here for the latest update on cases and fatalities.

Gov. Tom Wolf offered further detail on beginning to dial back restrictions on movement and businesses. When will your area migrate from the red to the yellow category? Two online stories, one on Monday and one on Friday, offered information on counties that will make the move next week.

Harrisburg residents and officials should be commended for creatively stepping up to help those in need during the pandemic. So says our editor, who penned a blog post praising the local response to the crisis.

Harrisburg City Council funded its portion of the new Neighborhood Business Stabilization Program, designed to inject funding into hurting city businesses. At its virtual legislative session, council also approved a couple of important development projects. Our online story has the details.

Invasive pests are a huge problem in Pennsylvania, especially as we transition to warmer weather. Our magazine feature describes the scope of the issue and how people can help.

One Midtown is a new Friends of Midtown program designed to encourage people to patronize local businesses during the pandemic. Read our online story–then show off your receipts!

Sara Bozich continues to stare out her window, hoping that one day she’ll be able to enjoy adult company again. Until then, she has a weekly list of virtual things to do this weekend and some local businesses to patronize.

TheBurg came out with our May issue, a bit slimmed down but still full of community news and features. We continue delivering the hard copy to places that are open for business, but encourage people to read it online, as well.

TheBurg team of reporters, writers, designers and artists picked up 16 Keystone Media Awards, including the coveted “sweepstakes” award for best overall performance in our category. What and who won? To find out, check out our proud editor’s blog post.

Do you receive TheBurg Daily, our online digest of news and events delivered right to your email inbox? If not, subscribe here!

Burg View: Harrisburg Together, Stronger

April 30, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

Part of Harrisburg’s 3rd Street commercial district, full of small businesses devastated by the shutdown

The COVID-19 pandemic is a unique type of misery rarely experienced—a profound health, economic and social crisis all wrapped up into one singular horror.

Humans, though, can be a pretty resilient and innovative bunch, and, in the Harrisburg area, we’ve seen numerous cases of people using their specific strengths and skills to try to help those most affected.

Since the pandemic hit, we’ve written stories about these efforts, such as the Hope Tree, which blinks brightly every night in Riverfront Park, “Grub for Scrubs,” an initiative designed to assist both suffering restaurants and stressed health care workers, and, most recently, the “One Midtown” campaign. There are many others.

On Tuesday night, more hope arrived for hurting businesses, as Harrisburg City Council funded its portion of the $1 million Neighborhood Business Stabilization Program. This joint program between the city and the nonprofit Impact Harrisburg will award up to $10,000 to city-licensed businesses to help them weather the economic storm.

This program should be applauded for many reasons, but I especially like it because it shows that government, so often maligned, can be creative and focused in addressing an extremely serious problem—and one that ordinarily would fall outside its purview.

In the case of this new program, two entities have combined forces to put money exactly where it’s needed—to help keep small businesses in the city breathing until they’re able to survive on their own again.

Impact Harrisburg, a creature of the Harrisburg Strong Plan (remember that?), still has money available from when it was originally funded some seven years ago. Meanwhile, the city is turning an ugly duckling into a swan by tapping a stink-bomb of a program—the decades-old, dormant revolving loan program (I get nauseated just thinking about it)—where over $2 million sits awaiting good use.

No doubt the Impact Harrisburg board has a tough task ahead selecting who will receive funds. According to city Solicitor Neil Grover, the program is already over-subscribed with the application deadline still a week away.

I don’t envy their position. I’m confident that board members will use their best judgment, but they’re also setting themselves up for criticism, unfortunately. That often happens when selecting winners and losers, and now the stakes are especially high.

Also, I know my city, where, too often, no good deed goes unpunished, and some people always seem to be on the edge of outrage.

But, hey, tough times call for tough leaders, and that time has arrived for Impact Harrisburg. It may turn out that no applicant gets everything they want or need, but those who qualify get something. I’m interested to see they approach Harrisburg’s version of a Solomon’s choice.

So far, I’ve been incredibly impressed with this community’s imaginative and earnest response to the sudden catastrophe that’s befallen us. People have stepped up strongly to support health care workers, restaurants, businesses and even community journalism. We now can add city officials to this long list of creative thinkers piecing together creative solutions.

To learn more about the Neighborhood Business Stabilization Program, visit the Impact Harrisburg website.

Lawrance Binda is co-publisher and editor-in-chief of TheBurg.

Harrisburg Council funds business grant program, approves development projects

April 28, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg City Council met in a virtual legislative session on Tuesday.

A new grant program designed to sustain city businesses got its final approval on Tuesday night, as Harrisburg agreed to kick in half the money for the fund.

City Council unanimously agreed to allocate $500,000 for the new Neighborhood Business Stabilization Program, a $1 million fund that is offering up to $10,000 for city-licensed businesses, including nonprofits, to try to offset some of the economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I am certainly in support of it,” said council President Wanda Williams. “These small businesses that were hit hard by this COVID-19 will be able to function again and pay their employees.”

The money is coming from the city’s revolving loan fund, a dormant program that once provided loans to assist city-based businesses. Williams emphasized that measures will be taken to ensure that recipients properly use the funds as indicated in their applications.

Impact Harrisburg, a nonprofit formed as part of the city’s 2013 financial recovery plan, is providing the fund’s other $500,000 and is administering the program.

Impact Harrisburg has already begun accepting applications for the grants. It expects to begin making funding decisions around May 7.

City Solicitor Neil Grover, who is also the chairman of the Impact Harrisburg board, told council members that the program, which just opened last week, already has received more than 300 applications totaling about $2 million in eligible funding requests, about twice the amount allocated for the program.

Because of the overwhelming demand, Grover said that the city and Impact Harrisburg would like to identify additional funding for the program.

“The subscription numbers already exceed the combined monies,” he said. “The board is going into discussions about whether we can locate other sources of money as we start to be able to measure the need locally.”

On Tuesday, City Council also approved two pending development projects.

It unanimously approved a land development plan by the Hudson Companies to build a 130,000-square-foot office building on the 2500-block of N. 7^th Street, the site of the former headquarters of D&H Distributing.

The Hermitage, Pa.-based company plans to demolish D&H’s low-slung building and construct a new, three-story, brick-and-glass building on the site. Hudson then will enter into a long-term lease with the commonwealth, which plans to locate about 850 Department of Human Services and Office of Administration workers there. Most will move from the former Harrisburg State Hospital grounds, which the state is trying to sell.

Hudson hopes to break ground on the project in several months, with completion in late 2021.

City Council also approved a land development plan for the construction of four new townhouses on the 600-block of Woodbine Street. The nearby Camp Curtin YMCA plans to undertake the $1 million affordable housing project on vacant land currently owned by the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority.

At last week’s council work session, Jamien Harvey, the Camp Curtin YMCA executive director, said he hoped that this project would just be the first phase of building more affordable housing in the area.

Harvey said that the houses, which will cost about $175,000 apiece to build, will sell for $70,000 to $80,000.

“We are looking to change the look of our neighborhood,” he said. “We’re looking to eliminate blight. We’re looking to cut down on the drugs and the violence in our neighborhood, and we’re looking to building a community with pride. This is one of many projects to come.”

Council also heard a financial update from city Budget and Finance Director Bruce Weber, who largely reiterated a presentation he provided last week to the Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority. In both presentations, Weber said that, despite the general economic collapse, the city’s finances remain fairly stable, though subsequent months will offer clearer insight into how much revenue the city will lose because of higher unemployment and the loss of parking revenue.

Lastly, council unanimously passed a resolution allowing Harrisburg to enter into an intergovernmental cooperation agreement with the Pennsylvania Department of Health to receive as much as $540,250 to fund lead hazard control activities in the city. This will enable the city to continue its existing lead abatement program over several more years.

New grant program teed up to help Harrisburg small businesses survive crisis

April 21, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

A screen shot of Harrisburg City Council’s virtual work session on Tuesday

Impact Harrisburg will begin taking applications on Friday for a new “Business Stabilization Program,” a grant program meant to help city-licensed businesses weather the COVID-19 crisis.

At a virtual work session on Tuesday, Sheila Dow Ford, Impact Harrisburg’s executive director, told City Council that the program is meant to help small businesses and nonprofits pay their workers and their bills until economic activity resumes.

“The purpose is to help neighborhood businesses survive during the pandemic,” she said. “It is hoped that this assistance will help employers with emergency cash flow needs during this time and help retain and continue to pay employees where possible.”

The $1 million program will be jointly funded by Impact Harrisburg—a nonprofit set up as part of the city’s financial recovery program—and the city. The city’s $500,000 contribution will come from its “revolving loan fund,” a fund that once loaned money to private businesses in the city.

The new assistance program aims to provide eligible businesses and nonprofits that are under duress with “emergency” grants of up to $10,000. Businesses must have less than $1 million in annual revenue and demonstrate that they have lost at least 25 percent of their monthly revenue as a result of the crisis. Fifty percent of the fund will be directed to businesses with revenues of less than $500,000 a year, Dow Ford said.

“We are making a directed outreach to those businesses in the community that are the smallest of the small,” she said.

The grant can be used for various business expenses, including payroll, rent, utilities, vendor invoices and real estate taxes.

All city-licensed businesses, as well as nonprofits, are eligible, with a “strong preference” given to businesses owned by city residents and to businesses owned by women, minorities and other disadvantaged classes, Dow Ford said.

At the work session, council members seemed inclined to support funding the new grant program.

“I think an opportunity like this is needed in our community for small businesses,” said council member Ausha Green.

Council members asked several questions about ensuring accountability, and Dow Ford said that all awardees will have to legally affirm that they meet the eligibility requirements and will use the funds for the stated purposes.

The Impact Harrisburg board, not the city, will judge the applications, Dow Ford said. The board will make funding decisions around May 7, she said.

“Once we make these decisions, we will immediately begin to distribute the funds,” Dow Ford said. “We want to make this as fast and efficient and convenient as possible.”

City Council still needs to approve its contribution. The resolution doing so is expected to be on council’s agenda during its virtual legislative session next week.

For more information on the Business Stabilization Program, visit the Impact Harrisburg website.

The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

April 17, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

Groceries await at the Salvation Army Harrisburg pickup area.

Our locked-down life hit a month this past week, with few signs that the quarantine would end anytime soon. The state reported fewer new COVID-19 cases for much of the week before another spike on Friday. Meanwhile, the Harrisburg area said good-bye to two prominent local figures felled by the disease. If you missed any of our coverage, we have it all listed and linked below.

COVID-19 pandemic took two prominent Harrisburg-area residents last week: Gerald Welch and Joe O’Connor. We featured an online news story about Welch, a city school board director, and a blog post about O’Connor, written by our arts writer, who was also his fan and friend.

Federal stimulus checks began arriving in bank accounts this week. Many Harrisburg-area residents need the funds to pay for basic necessities. But, in a blog post, our editor asked the lucky ones who don’t need the money to spread it around generously.

Food banks and providers are under stress as demand has skyrocketed over the past month. Our online feature story examines how several local organizations are handling the demand, especially during a time of social distancing.

Gov. Tom Wolf gave a speech offering general guidelines on reopening the economy in Pennsylvania. He didn’t provide a timeframe, but said that more information would be coming next week. We covered the speech in an online story.

Grub for Scrubs is a new initiative with a twofold benefit. By making a donation, you can support local restaurants and buy a meal for frontline healthcare workers. Our online feature gives all the details of this win-win.

Harrisburg City Council conducted its first virtual meeting last week, holding a short legislative session. Among other matters, it approved funding to complete a road design for a slimmed-down State Street on Allison Hill. We had the story.

Harrisburg’s “Community Conversations” continued, with the city’s mayor interviewing school and nonprofit leaders. In our online story, you can learn more about support for businesses and for school students.

Home sales and prices in the Harrisburg area were relatively stable in March. We wrote up our monthly online update as we anxiously await next month’s report, which may be much more challenging.

Open Stage is going virtual, live-streaming its production of “Angels in America.” Sign up and log on for the most unique theater experience of your life. Our reviewer offers her thoughts on this virtual play.

PA Department of Health continued issuing daily updates on the COVID-19 pandemic’s spread in the commonwealth. We wrote up the data each day, and you can see the latest facts and figures by clicking here.

PennDOT deserves praise for reversing its stance on State Street, allowing a pedestrian safety project to proceed, according to our editorial. Over the years, our editor has been serially critical of PennDOT, but he compliments this change of heart and hopes it’s the start of more changes to Harrisburg’s many state-owned streets.

Sara Bozich is, yes, still at home. But, just like she has for a month now, she has suggestions for some great virtual events that you can attend, as well as links to places where you can buy something fun or yummy to help keep local businesses operating.

Do you receive TheBurg Daily, our digest of news and events delivered right to your email inbox each weekday? If not, subscribe here!

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